The present invention relates to a method for preparing a encapsulated flavorant material in solid particular form for use in chewable compositions such as foods, confections and other orally utilized compositions, especially chewing gum, toothpaste, chewing tobacco and snuff. The flavorant material can provide both delayed release of flavor and release of a substantial flavor peak or "burst" of flavor with sustained release of substantially all of the encapsulated flavorant ingredient.
The invention further relates to a flavorant material comprising a solid encapsulated and coated flavorant matrix containing flavorant ingredients such as essential oil, spice, oleo resin and artificial flavorants containing substantially all of the relatively volatile flavor components or "low boilers" of the flavorant ingredients, e.g. acetaldehyde and butyl acetate, which are conventionally lost in preparation of prior art spray dried flavorant products.
The invention also relates to a flavored composition for introduction into the mouth, such as a food product, chewing tobacco, snuff or toothpaste, containing the encapsulated flavorant of the invention. In particular, the invention provides an improved controlled, variable flavored chewing gun composition prepared by incorporating a delayed release encapsulated flavorant material of the invention, with or without conventional free oil flavorants, in a chewing gum base.
The invention is also directed to a process for preparing water insoluble flavorant ingredients in a solid matrix of partially water soluble or hydrophilic encapsulation material comprising gelatin, a plasticizer and either a natural gum or an albumin, which provides for ready elution of flavorant ingredient at substantial flavor peaks under the hydrolytic condition in the mouth and yet which is coated with a water insoluble material which provides for delayed release of substantially all of the flavorant ingredient without having flavor oil dissolve in the water insoluble coating or the gum base, which has produced flavor "chew-out" problems in prior art products.
Over the years, there has been a considerable amount of work in the field of flavorant materials for use in orally chewable compositions such as medicines, toothpaste, tobacco and particularly chewing gum. Much of this work has been directed to the need for developing flavorant materials which will give a substantial initial flavor level or flavor burst and yet will give sustained release of flavor at interesting levels over an extended period of time.
Thus, it has long been recognized in the art that the addition of free flavor oil to gum bases, as is still conventionally practiced in the field, results in the release of only about 20-40% of the initial flavor oil upon chewing due to the fact that 60-80% of the initial flavor oil is entrapped or bound within the gum base and cannot be chewed out over an indefinite period of time.
In response to this problem, it has been long known in the art to seal or microencapsulate flavorant ingredients in colloids such as gum arabic, dextrin, starch and gelatin to prevent diffusion of the flavor oil into the gum base. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,526,039 and 2,369,847 teach the encapsulation of essential oils in emulsifying material, including common gums and gelatin, to prevent the flavor from escaping and having direct contact with the gum base.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,886,440; 2,886,445; 2,886,446; and 2,886,449 all describe flavorant materials for chewing gum prepared by encapsulating flavor oil in gelatin by spray drying, coacervation, and gelatin hardening to obtain extended flavor perception time and obtain a high degree of flavor release.
More recent works in the field, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,957,964 which describes thick or multiple coating of hardened gelatin; 3,920,849 and 4,001,438 which review encapsulation teachings with gelatin including mixture of free oil and gelatin encapsulated flavorants; and one of the Co-Applicant's own U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,312 which teaches spray drying of gum arabic, maltodextrins and hydrolyzed gelatin encapsulated flavor oil without loss of low boiler components of the oil, also are directed to achieving substantial release of flavorant ingredient over an extended period of time without significant loss of flavorant ingredient in the gum base.
More recently, considerable work has been directed to development of a delayed release flavorant material which will give delayed release of flavorant ingredient and yet which will readily release a substantial amount of flavor over an extended period of time after conventional flavorant ingredients such as free oils are normally dissipated from the mouth by normal elution with saliva. The obvious benefit of delayed release is the ability to give flavor variable chewing gum having distinct flavors not previously attainable by mere administration of conventional seasonings and flavor oils.
Prior art attempts at achieving delayed release have all relied upon the use of a coating or matrix of water insoluble material surrounding and in direct contact with the flavoring oil or spice being coated, which has attained diffusion of the flavorant ingredient into the insoluble material, such as polyvinyl acetate, proteins, gelatin or other high molecular weight natural and synthetic resins. Where these prior art processes have succeeded in achieving any degree of delayed release, which is not of the order of that achieved in the instant invention, it has been achieved at the expense of the problem of flavorant ingredient chew-out of a substantial amount of flavor which has become dissolved or "fixed" in the insoluble coating matrix.
Thus, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,744 a flavorant ingredient such as essential oils, sweeteners, spices, etc. has been encapsulated within a matrix or alternatively a coating of polyvinyl ester water insoluble material for delayed release of flavorant ingredient when the flavorant ingredient is uniformly distributed, together with a "quick release" i.e. commercially prepared flavorant ingredient, in a chewing gum base for variable flavor gums. This process, which is directed to achieving controlled flavor release, results in a substantial amount of flavorant ingredient which cannot be "chewed-out" over an indefinite period of time and does not give a substantial flavor "burst" after a delayed period corresponding to the time when conventional flavorant ingredients are dissipated in the mouth.
Similarly, a recent European Patent Application No. 80104076.7 (Publication No. 24,297) of Gergly for "Flavoring Product with Gradually Released Action and Procedures for Its Manufacture," published Mar. 4, 1981, claims delayed release of flavorant ingredients in chewing gum through incorporation of flavor essential oils, etc., in a matrix of at least one water insoluble material in which a softener has been embedded to delay release of the flavorant ingredient until a first flavorant ingredient has been dissipated from the mouth and yet to thereafter release the flavorant ingredient "in logarithmic proportions" after this delay. This process also results in substantial dissolution of the flavorant ingredient in the water insoluble matrix with attendant loss of available flavor due to problem of "chew-out".
Applicants' process, alone, has been successful in both giving time delayed release of flavorant ingredient combined with a burst of flavor and sustained release of substantially all of the originally added flavorant ingredient without problems of fixation of the flavorant ingredient in the water insoluble coating or gum base.